Z世代消费者对酒精饮品的兴趣不高，但热衷于个性化、非酒精类的特调饮品，如模拟鸡尾酒、苏打水和冰沙。这一趋势正驱动着麦当劳、星巴克、塔可钟等连锁餐饮品牌推出新款饮品。市场研究表明，为了迎合Z世代的需求，未来将有更多色彩鲜艳、口味新奇的冷饮问世。这些饮品不仅满足了年轻消费者对独特口味的追求，更因其视觉吸引力和社交分享潜力，成为品牌营销的新焦点。例如，带有独特配料的“脏苏打”和可定制的“秘密菜单”饮品，都在社交媒体上引发了热烈讨论。

🥤 Z世代偏爱非酒精饮品，推动连锁餐饮品牌创新饮品菜单。由于Z世代群体对酒精的饮用量相对较低，他们转而寻求更具创意和个性化的非酒精饮品，如模拟鸡尾酒、特色苏打水和冰沙等。这一消费偏好促使麦当劳、星巴克、塔可钟等知名连锁餐饮企业积极调整和推出符合年轻人喜好的饮品选项，以抓住市场机遇。

🌈 创新饮品口味和外观是吸引Z世代的关键。市场研究指出，为了迎合Z世代对新奇体验的追求，未来的饮品趋势将更加注重口味的独特性和视觉的吸引力。例如，出现诸如黄瓜味冰沙、添加爆珠或果干的咖啡饮品等，这些色彩鲜艳、口味独特的饮品更容易在社交媒体上引发分享和讨论，成为Z世代社交生活的一部分。

📈 个性化定制成为提升饮品吸引力的重要策略。Z世代消费者在选择饮品时，非常看重个性化定制的选项，他们希望能够根据自己的喜好自由搭配配料和口味。星巴克的“秘密菜单”和麦当劳即将推出的“脏苏打”系列，都体现了品牌通过提供丰富的定制化选项来满足消费者个性化需求，从而提升顾客忠诚度和复购率。

💰 冷饮和非酒精饮品的市场潜力巨大。数据显示，2024年快餐连锁店的冷饮销售额增长了9.6%，表现优于汉堡等传统产品。麦当劳更是将此视为一个价值1000亿美元的全球市场机会。这表明，非酒精饮品，特别是冷饮，已成为餐饮行业新的增长点和营销焦点，尤其是在年轻消费群体中。

McDonald's, Starbucks, Taco Bell, and other chains are rolling out new drink menus this summer.The trend is spurred on by Gen Z's love of customizable, non-alcoholic beverages.Expect more cold drinks, wacky flavors, and bright colors in response, a market researcher told BI.

Gen Z famously doesn't drink much alcohol, but they still love a cold and tasty beverage.

Young consumers' preference for unique, non-alcoholic drinks with eye-catching flavors is driving a surge in new offerings from chains like McDonald's, Starbucks, and Taco Bell. So, you can thank Gen Z for the unusual drink options coming to a fast-food restaurant near you.

Think pickle-flavored slushies, coffee drinks with popping boba balls, and soda with dried fruit on the bottom.

"As Gen Z is drinking less alcohol, they're looking for drinks that they can customize and get excited about," Michael Della Penna, chief strategy officer at the digital advertising research firm, InMarket, which publishes regular reports on fast-casual restaurant customer loyalty, told Business Insider.

He added: "We've seen this across a bunch of different chains, and this trend is just another example of capitalizing on that interest and that buzz and that viral component that these drinks bring."

Iced beverages from fast food chains saw 9.6% sales growth in 2024, outpacing burgers — and McDonald's now sees a $100 billion global opportunity, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. McDonald's will test-launch its line of "Dirty Sodas," with add-ins like dried fruit and flavored syrups, in hundreds of stores nationwide beginning in September, the outlet reported.

Starbucks last week launched its own "Secret Menu" of drinks, making custom add-ons easier to order with four new offerings pre-programmed into the app.

Taco Bell, KFC, and Burger King are also rolling out their own new drink plays, making customizable — and usually cold — beverages the new marketing frontier for many national brands, Della Penna told BI.

"Cold drinks, in particular, are hot right now," Della Penna said. "And the personalization aspect of it is aligned to how Gen Z orders their Starbucks and what they want to see when they walk into a McDonald's or a Dunkin' or another quick service restaurant: the ability to actually create their own drink in a way that they love and identify and come back to time after time."

Recent examples that have been buzzy online include Sonic's Pickle Juice Slush — surprisingly, not the chain's foray into pickle-flavored slushies — and KFC's new Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning Peaches & Cream Soda, which was released June 9.

"In the age where everything is visual, the ability to put something up on social media that is unique — and comment about it and get your friends to comment about it — is how that engagement happens with Gen Z," Della Penna said.

Bright colors are particularly important for turning a drink into a conversation starter or viral social media moment, Della Penna said. And as far as flavors go? "The crazier, the better."